How to Train a Rescue Dog

Many people say rescue dogs make the best companions because they are grateful. That may or may not be true but rescue dogs certainly deserve a wonderful home and some training. Some have issues but usually it is easier to train a rescue dog than it is to train a puppy.

Instructions

1. How to Train a Rescue Dog

2. Assess your new rescue dog. If you got your dog from a rescue where he spent time in a foster home, the foster owner will be able to tell you a lot about the dog. Usually they know how he is with other dogs, cats, children and his general level of training so you have a head start.

3. If your rescue dog came from a shelter, you will need to watch and learn what, if any, issues he has and what sort of training he needs.

4. Start teaching your dog that people are friendly. Many people think their rescue dog has been “abused” because he acts shy or barks at people. Usually these dogs have not been abused but have not been socialized well so they don’t trust people.

5. Get in the habit of carrying a small bag of yummy treats when your dog is meeting new people. Have people give him a treat and pet him gently under the chin or ears if he seems nervous. Don’t push him into situations he is not comfortable with, give him time to learn to trust.

6. Teach your rescue dog to sit on command if he doesn’t already know how. This is a very useful command for any dog to learn. He can sit while being petted by people instead of jumping up. He can sit at curbs when you’re on walks. Use a treat and lure him by moving it over his head until he sits. Once he has the idea, reinforce it by having him sit for meals, to go in and out the door and for treats. Not only will he be well-mannered but he will realize that you are in charge and he can make good things happen by sitting politely.

7. Get your rescue dog used to a crate. Not every dog needs to be crated while you are away from home of course. But until you know whether he gets anxious, destructive, or won’t potty in the house in your absence, a crate is a wonderful tool. Give him his meals in his crate. If he likes to play fetch or tug, throw the toy into the crate so he associates it with fun things.

8. Be consistent with all your commands and rewards. Use the same words for everything and before you know it your dog will have a big vocabulary. Have words for every action — going in and out, sitting, going to crate, play time, eating, going in the car, going for a walk. If you use the same word each time your dog will quickly make the association and you can then use that word as a command.

9. Take a basic obedience class. Dogs of any age can take basic obedience classes, they are not just for puppies. Group classes are fun and inexpensive and you and your new dog will both learn a lot. As a bonus your dog will learn to pay attention to you around distractions and if he has any issues with other dogs, the trainer will help you work through them.

How to Stop Puppy Nipping

Puppies nip and bite for a variety of reasons and for the most part, this is normal behavior. Puppies use their mouths a lot when playing with one another, it’s a way for them to understand and explore their world. It’s important to discourage nipping when your puppy is still young because if you don’t, you may have a biting dog on your hands and that’s not nearly as cute as a nipping puppy. Also, their needle-sharp teeth can be painful.

There a lots of proven training methods to help correct your puppy’s behavioral problems. Before I get into the specific techniques you can use to stop your puppy from biting, always keep these general dog behavior training rules in mind:

• Puppy socialization and bite inhibition training go hand in hand.
• Never slap or hit your puppy in the face. This does not work! Your puppy will just think you are playing or could become afraid of you. This may even lead to some much bigger problems than simple puppy nipping.
• The general rule to stop puppy biting problems is to always encourage acceptable behavior and always discourage unacceptable behavior. To learn more about this fundamental rule of dog obedience training (including how to stop biting problems) visit Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.
• While you are trying to stop your puppies from biting, never play tug of war, wrestling or chase type games with them. This only encourages the biting and nipping. 
• Whichever method you choose to train your puppy the golden rule is be consistent. This means that you and anyone else who comes into contact with your puppy must enforce your chosen strategy every time your pup takes a nip.
• If you don’t clearly communicate to your dog that the biting is unacceptable, he will not know he is doing anything wrong. It’s up to you to show him what is acceptable behavior, don’t just expect your puppy to know this! (You are really taking on the role of his littermates for this task).
• Another (extreme) reason puppies can bite is if they are trying to assert their dominance over you. If this is the case with your puppy, it must be stopped immediately. When you have a dominant puppy his biting will only be the beginning of many behavioral problems. To learn how to establish your position as the dominant one or leader in your owner-dog relationship

TEACHING YOUR PUPPY NOT TO BITE!!

What to Do About Puppy Mouthing

It’s important to help your puppy learn to curb his mouthy behavior. There are various ways, some better than others, to teach this lesson. The ultimate goal is to train your puppy to stop mouthing and biting people altogether. However, the first and most important objective is to teach him that people have very sensitive skin, so he must be very gentle when using his mouth.

Bite Inhibition: Teach Your Puppy to Be Gentle

Bite inhibition refers to a dog’s ability to control the force of his mouthing. A puppy or dog who hasn’t learned bite inhibition with people doesn’t recognize the sensitivity of human skin, and so he bites too hard, even in play. Some behaviorists and trainers believe that a dog who has learned to use his mouth gently when interacting with people will be less likely to bite hard and break skin if he ever bites someone in a situation apart from play-like when he’s afraid or in pain.

Puppies usually learn bite inhibition during play with other puppies. If you watch a group of puppies playing, you’ll see plenty of chasing, pouncing and wrestling. Puppies also bite each other all over. Every now and then, a pup will bite his playmate too hard. The victim of the painful bite yelps and usually stops playing. The offender is often taken aback by the yelp and also stops playing for a moment. However, pretty soon, both playmates are back in the game. Through this kind of interaction, puppies learn to control the intensity of their bites so that no one gets hurt and the play can continue without interruption. If puppies can learn how to be gentle from each other, they can also learn the same lesson from people.

When you play with your puppy, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your puppy and cause him to stop mouthing you, at least momentarily. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your puppy for stopping or for licking you. Resume whatever you were doing before. If your puppy bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period. If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. Time-outs are often very effective for curbing mouthing in puppies. When your puppy delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. After the short time-out, return to your puppy and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops. Play with your puppy until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your puppy isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your puppy to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your puppy or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your puppy can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all.

How to potty train your puppy in 6 days!!

This our newest addition ” Sookie ” she is 11 weeks old and on day one of potty training!

Pay Attention

One of the easiest ways to potty train a puppy is to simply pay attention and watch for signals. Make sure your puppy is always where you can see him. You may need to use baby gates or close doors to keep your puppy from wandering off and going potty in the house. When you notice the puppy sniffing around or if you see him start to squat, quickly scoop him up and take him outside.After the puppy eats or drinks, take him outside to go potty within about 10 minutes. A puppy will always need to go to the potty shortly after eating or drinking. Control when the puppy eats, as well. He does not require a full bowl of food available at all times. Check with your vet or breeder regarding how much and how frequently your puppy should eat.

When you take the puppy outside after eating or drinking, do not use this time to play. Simply stand or sit off to the side and wait until he finally goes.

Consistency and Praise

If you are occupied and unable to keep an eye on him for extended periods, consider crate training your puppy. While it may feel like you are imprisoning him, puppies who are crate trained begin to appreciate the safety and security of their crate, as it is much like the dens their ancestors lived in.Choose a crate that is large enough for the puppy to stand and turn around in; never use the crate as punishment, such as a “time out” corner. It should be a place where the puppy feels safe and comfortable. Take the puppy outside to go potty before putting him in his crate. He can be safely crated for three to four hours; puppies rarely use the crate as a potty and will learn to hold it while he is in the crate. Take him outside to potty as soon as you let him out of the crate.

Crate Training

Repetition and consistency are two key factors that will help your puppy learn to let you know he needs to go potty. Whenever you take the puppy outside to go potty, always take him through the same door and to the same area of your yard. This will help to train him to go to that door when he needs to go potty.Consider using potty training pads, as well. These lined pads have a scent that attract puppies to go potty on them. Leave a clean potty training pad near the door that you want the puppy to use to alert you when he needs to go potty.

Every time the puppy goes potty or when you are waiting for him to go, use the word you want to associate with training him to go. For example, you might repeat, “Go potty, good boy! Good potty!” This will train him to understand what you want him to do, which is go potty in the designated spot.

Finally, it is crucial you praise your puppy every time he goes potty in the appropriate area. Even if the puppy started to go inside, carry him out, let him finish and praise him for his good potty training session. Dogs want to please their owners and will be encouraged to repeat the action that caused him to be loved on and praised.

How to potty train your puppy in 6 days!!

This our newest addition ” Sookie ” she is 11 weeks old and on day one of potty training!

Pay Attention

One of the easiest ways to potty train a puppy is to simply pay attention and watch for signals. Make sure your puppy is always where you can see him. You may need to use baby gates or close doors to keep your puppy from wandering off and going potty in the house. When you notice the puppy sniffing around or if you see him start to squat, quickly scoop him up and take him outside.After the puppy eats or drinks, take him outside to go potty within about 10 minutes. A puppy will always need to go to the potty shortly after eating or drinking. Control when the puppy eats, as well. He does not require a full bowl of food available at all times. Check with your vet or breeder regarding how much and how frequently your puppy should eat.

When you take the puppy outside after eating or drinking, do not use this time to play. Simply stand or sit off to the side and wait until he finally goes.

Consistency and Praise

If you are occupied and unable to keep an eye on him for extended periods, consider crate training your puppy. While it may feel like you are imprisoning him, puppies who are crate trained begin to appreciate the safety and security of their crate, as it is much like the dens their ancestors lived in.Choose a crate that is large enough for the puppy to stand and turn around in; never use the crate as punishment, such as a “time out” corner. It should be a place where the puppy feels safe and comfortable. Take the puppy outside to go potty before putting him in his crate. He can be safely crated for three to four hours; puppies rarely use the crate as a potty and will learn to hold it while he is in the crate. Take him outside to potty as soon as you let him out of the crate.

Crate Training

Repetition and consistency are two key factors that will help your puppy learn to let you know he needs to go potty. Whenever you take the puppy outside to go potty, always take him through the same door and to the same area of your yard. This will help to train him to go to that door when he needs to go potty.Consider using potty training pads, as well. These lined pads have a scent that attract puppies to go potty on them. Leave a clean potty training pad near the door that you want the puppy to use to alert you when he needs to go potty.

Every time the puppy goes potty or when you are waiting for him to go, use the word you want to associate with training him to go. For example, you might repeat, “Go potty, good boy! Good potty!” This will train him to understand what you want him to do, which is go potty in the designated spot.

Finally, it is crucial you praise your puppy every time he goes potty in the appropriate area. Even if the puppy started to go inside, carry him out, let him finish and praise him for his good potty training session. Dogs want to please their owners and will be encouraged to repeat the action that caused him to be loved on and praised.